New York City has directed its employees to delete TikTok from their city-issued phones
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has directed its employees to delete TikTok from their city-issued phones, joining the federal government and more than half of U.S. states in banning the use of the Chinese-owned social media app on government-owned devices.
“While social media is great at connecting New Yorkers with one another and the city, we have to ensure we are always using these platforms in a secure manner," Jonah Allon, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement Thursday.
Allon said the city's top information security officials determined that TikTok posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks and directed the app's removal from city-owned devices within 30 days.
TikTok officials have said that fears that the app's use could pose cybersecurity risks are unfounded. There was no immediate response after a message seeking comment on the New York City ban was sent to a TikTok spokesperson.